Page 78 of His to Save

“Anyone ever tell you have great bedside manner?” Atlas asks, helping me up onto the table.

Scarlet screws up her face as she mocks him.

All I can do is giggle at them both. This dynamic we have is so totally weird, and yet I can’t help but feel right at home with Atlas and Scarlet.

“Okay, here we go.” She squirts some of the gel onto my stomach and begins moving it around with the wand. “Going to take some measurements and then we’ll get to the good stuff.”

Despite not understanding much of what is happening on the screen, I watch with a laser-like focus as she clicks around.

“And here’s baby’s?—”

The door to the room flings open and Ellis barges in, fully in uniform.

“What in the actual hell?” Scarlet shrieks as Atlas asks, “Is everything okay?”

“Did I miss it?” he asks, frantically looking from my bare belly to the screen to Scarlet. “Am I an uncle or an aunt?”

“An idiot, that’s what you are. An absolute idiot.” If looks could kill, Scarlet would have eviscerated Ellis on the spot.

“Didn’t know you were joining us,” Atlas says mildly, once it’s clear nothing is wrong.

“I invited him.” I duck my head. “I guess I forgot to mention it. Sorry.”

Atlas grins. “Should’ve known. You two are like peanut butter and jelly.”

“No,” Ellis scoffs. “We’re popcorn and movie theater butter.”

“Oh my God, I’m surrounded by morons.” Scarlet rolls her eyes. “Can we please get on with it? We do have other patients…”

My cheeks burn with embarrassment. She’s right, I’m not her only patient, and both she and Dr. Snider are giving up their lunch hour for me. The least I could do—again—is be respectful of their time.

“Sorry, Scarlet.” I recline back against the paper-covered pillow. “We’ll be good.”

She gives me a tight smile. “As I was saying, here’s baby’s heartbeat.”

A gentle whooshing sound fills the room, bringing tears to my eyes. Seriously, that is the best sound I’ve ever heard.

“Hey, Scar,” Atlas whispers. “You think I can record that?”

Maybe it’s a trick of the light, but I swear, her eyes get a little bit misty. “Go for it.”

With the hand that isn’t holding mine, Atlas slides his phone out of his pocket and begins recording the sound of our baby’s heartbeat.

“Damn, that’s my favorite sound.” His voice is thick with emotion, which only feeds into how I’m feeling, and before I know it, tears are rolling down my cheeks.

“Don’t cry, Pip.” Atlas slides his phone back into his pocket and then wipes away my tears.

“I’m not sad.” Truly, I’m not. If anything, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. “Promise.”

“If you’re done crying, we can check and see if baby will give us a peek at the goods.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re kind of a bitch?” Ellis asks, steepling his hands beneath his chin.

“Anyone ever tell you that only guys with small dicks call women bitches?” she fires back.

“We playing two truths and a lie or something?” He leans back in his chair, crossing his legs so that his right ankle rests on his left knee. “If so, let me think of something else true, because everything you just said was a damn lie.”

“I swear to God?—”

---